I never play at +4. Higher level enemies just aren't worth the extra effort. I sometimes push up the level adjustment after I get my Rare Alpha and sometimes push it a bit higher in DA when I get the other Incarnate shifts, but that's not really playing at "+4".
But let me restate, very, very, very, very clearly: This is not about difficulty settings. If it was about difficulty settings, I wouldn't be singling out a single enemy group.
At the same level, with the same settings, this character did just fine against UPA, IDF, and Arachnos. I didn't have huge issues with the Circle, though I'm not sure at what level their revamp really comes into play.
It think the problem may mostly boil down to the fact that the Council changes come into play too early in level. They were tuned against 50s and Incarnates, and they should be facing 50s and Incarnates.